The lobby of the Corinthia Hotel is an elegant setting for afternoon tea. Photo: Simon Watson

Diversity and innovation are the strengths of London’s restaurants. The emergence of such standard-bearers as Hakkasan, St. John, and the Wolseley solidified the city’s status as an international culinary destination, but many of the most compelling new places to eat don’t yet appear in guidebooks. So we offer a tour of some of the capital’s latest hot spots, in six square meals—plus a dreamy afternoon tea.

DAY ONE

Breakfast: The Wolseley may be the Continental-style grand café of choice for celebrities and others seeking comfort food in stately surroundings, but its sister restaurant, the Delaunay, which opened in Covent Garden late last year, offers a similarly lively bowler-hat-and-polished-silver vibe. And it’s easier to get a table. Breakfast includes British stalwarts such as porridge or first-rate eggs Benedict, but the Mittel-European pastries, like the mixed basket of Viennoiserie, are the standouts. thedelaunay.com

Lunch: Jason Atherton, for close to a decade the most talented chef working under Gordon Ramsay, launched Pollen Street Social last year near Hanover Square. In a welcoming, understated space designed by the Chinese firm Neri&Hu, he serves up thoughtful, clever dishes, among them a risotto-like cauliflower and squid starter. Droll desserts include the deconstructed “PBJ”—quite unlike the sandwich Mom put in your lunch box. (Closed Sundays.) pollenstreetsocial.com

Dinner: For London’s beef worshipers, there are no better temples than the city’s three Hawksmoor steak houses. At the flagship Hawksmoor Seven Dials in Covent Garden, a class-act bar and cavernous dining room occupy a former brewery outfitted with cast-iron columns, bare brick, and reclaimed wood. Order one of the historically based cocktails, and don’t overthink the rest: The aged British beef is prime quality and flawlessly grilled. Be sure to add a side of the sublime roasted bone marrow or the triple-cooked fries. thehawksmoor.com

DAY TWO

Breakfast: Ease into the day at the Riding House Café, where breakfast is served until noon. At this spirited but low-key spot on a quiet street in Fitzrovia, you can skip the usual British fry-ups in favor of buttermilk pancakes, a fruit plate, or tasty smoothies that come in old-fashioned pint milk bottles. The alcoves and shared tables are a mix of retro style and actual vintage; and yes, the wall sconces really are taxidermy squirrels. ridinghousecafe.co.uk

Lunch: Chef Yotam Ottolenghi is renowned for the inventive, often vegetarian cuisine served at his namesake cafés. In 2011 he debuted Nopi, a more upmarket affair, in Soho. The glowing space, designed by architect Alex Meitlis, is appointed with enough brass and polished marble for a dictator’s palace, though used with considerably more élan. The menu’s tapas-size plates cross continents, but it’s the Middle Eastern dishes—such as roasted eggplant with spiced yogurt, dukkah spice mix, and coriander—that are the kitchen’s strength. nopi-restaurant.com

Afternoon Tea: The most striking new spot for indulging in this British tradition is the Lobby Lounge at the Corinthia Hotel, which opened last year on the Embankment, a short stroll from Trafalgar Square. The hotel’s no-expense-spared interior is an intoxicating environment for enjoying finger sandwiches and fancy pastries. corinthia.com

Dinner: Despite its name, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, the latest from the celebrity chef whose Fat Duck restaurant is revered as one of the world’s best, does serve lunch, too. The menu gives historic English fare an haute cuisine makeover. “Meat Fruit” is a signature item: Typical of Blumenthal’s playfulness, it looks like an orange but is filled with a poultry parfait. Located in the five-star Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park in Knightsbridge, the setting is suitably sumptuous. Be sure to book well ahead. dinnerbyheston.com